<p>My son has been accepted to the jazz programs at NYU, NEC & Peabody, and his instrument is the electric bass guitar. I am a non-musical parent who greatly appreciates all the info you seasoned folks have provided over the last year. Other than the obvious university vs. conservatory consideration, any thoughts and/or suggestions regarding the relative strengths and weaknesses of the 3 departments? Thanks!</p>
<p>NEC. Who wouldn’t want their mascot to be a penguin!?</p>
<p>Congratulations to your son for his wonderful choices! Personally, I think that NEC is the strongest of those three jazz departments.</p>
<p>NEC has by far the strongest students and is also, as far as I can tell, the only one with a listed electric bass faculty. However, I heard that Richard Bona is teaching at NYU and it would be hard to pass that up if electric is really your focus.</p>
<p>Thanks for your response. Can you please elaborate on the reasons for your conclusions regarding the relative strength of the electric bass jazz program at NEC?</p>
<p>I visited all three schools as a prospective jazz bass student and it seemed to me that the students in the NEC combos were stronger players on average. NEC is also the only school with a specific electric bass instructor listed, Oscar Stagnaro. I’m sure that you could learn electric at both of the other schools but the listed faculty’s main instrument is upright. In fact, and you should check this, they might require your son to learn upright bass (not necessarily a bad idea). While he isn’t listed on the faculty for some reason, I did hear that Richard Bona teaches at NYU. He is probably one of the best electric players out there today so you should definitely find out what his situation is before making a decision.</p>
<p>Just putting in my pitch for NEC jazz too. My son is really thriving there. It’s an amazing and committed and creative group of students. Teachers seem to be supportive and nurturing. Students work hard and have a great time. Son’s roommate is an electric bass player and I have seen at least one other in concert. They are phenomenal players and well-loved by their peers for their extra funky aplomb. Good luck to you in your decision but you will not go wrong at NEC.</p>
<p>I would agree about NEC. Very high-quality jazz program. While I am a Peabody fan, their jazz program is fairly new and small. There is a lot to be said about being in NYC, but NEC is a great place to start.</p>
<p>Mr. Bona is no longer at NYU; their upright bass instructors are also the electric bass instructors - Mike Richmond, Ron McClure & Martin Wind. How does that work? Also, any impressions regarding Mr. Stagnaro?</p>
<p>I also reccomend NEC, and do so without hesitating for a split second. NYU is great in that it’s located just blocks away from what is just about the world’s most relevant jazz neighborhood. However, NEC is the school to be at, no doubt.</p>
<p>We visited NYU this week, and saw an NYU jazz ensemble performing at the Blue Note for brunch. It was great. Apparently this happens every month–NYU jazz has a standing gig there. Of course, there would be a different group each time. There are at least 40 different jazz groups at NYU. NEC probably has the more prestigious program musically, but if you want NYC and a university education, NYU could be a good choice. Do you have time to go get sample lessons before deciding?</p>